Roof covering



Sept. 12, 1950 H. VAN WAVVEREN I 2,522,413

ROOF COVERING Filed. Jan. 7, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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I ROOF COVERING Filed Jan. 7, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lb 5 w 2 &

' JNVENTOR. .H. v a nflfa/v 81 812/ BY Patented Sept. 12, 1950 ROOF COVERING Hendrik van Waveren, Eindhoven, Netherlands Application January 7, 1947, Serial No. 720,639 In the Netherlands January 28, 1946 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved roof covering, comprising plates or slabs formed by molding or pressing, more particularly asbestoscement slabs.

It is known that asbestos-cement has a considerable coefiicient of expansion. For covering roofs this presents great difliculties, since the slabs are liable to large fluctuations of temperature so that special precautions are necessary to prevent the formation of cracks and the like in the slabs. Therefore, often use is made of small slabs nailed on a single spot and partly covering each other. Such rooflngs, however, present the drawback that leakages may easily appear on the nailed spots. Moreover, a large number of slabs has to be used, which requires much time to cover the roof and results in high costs of wages.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a roof covering in which all these drawbacks are obviated and in which the roofing slabs are rigidly and easily secured without making use of nails, screws or similar fastening means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a solid, simple and cheap construction in which the roofing slabs are secured by means of wedging members strongly clamping the slabs to the supporting structure of the roof covering.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully hereinafter disclosed in the claims and in the specification which is exemplary thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross section through the flanges of two adjacent roofing slabs.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view according to the line II-II of Fig. 1, the covering cap shown in Fig. 1 being removed. c

Fig. 3 is a similar view as Fig. 2 on a reduced scale and showing a plurality of spaced grooves in the upper edge of the flange of the slab.

The asbestos-cement slabs l are provided at their lateral borders with flanges 2 and are placed side by side with an interspace 3 between the said flanges. They rest upon supports 4 being looped at their-upper end and being secured to the purlins of the roofing and extending throughout the interspace 3 beyond the upper side of the flanges 2 of the slabs. Along the upper edges of the flanges regularly spaced apertures or grooves 5 are provided. These grooves are not all of the same dimensions; one groove 5a in the middle of the length of the flange is narrower than the other ones (Fig.- 3).

The support 4 also comprises an aperture or slot 6 which is, however, deeper than the grooves 5 in the flanges of the slabs. The slabs are placed upon the supports in such a manner that the grooves 5 are facing the slots 6 of the supports.

In the apertures 5, 6 a length of gas pipe I is placed the ends of which are beaded. Between this gas pipe I and the looped upper end of the support 5 a wedge 8 is then driven in, with the result that the slabs l are pressed tightly on the bottom flanges of the support 4. Expansion of the slabs in transverse as well as in longitudinal direction is permitted. and consequently the formation of cracks in the slabs is effectively prevented. By turning up the narrow end 9 of the wedge extending outside the support 4 (vide Fig. 1), the whole structure is protected against getting loose.

In order to obtain a watertight covering, a cap Ill is placed over the support 4 and the flanges 2 of the slabs. This cap is secured to the gas pipe 1 by a screw bolt l l and a nut 12. Raining in is absolutely impossible. The cap Ill may be filled up throughout its length with tarred felt l3, so as to protect the roofing against draught.

What I claim is:

l. A roof covering comprising roofing slabs of moldable material having upturned flanges at their lateral edges and arranged with an interspace between the flanges of adjacent slabs, supporting members secured to the roofing and being looped at their upper ends, said supporting members extending in the said interspaces beyond the upper edges of the upturned flanges, pressing members accommodated in grooves spaced apart along the upper edge of the flanges of adjacent slabs and passing through corresponding apertures in the supporting members, cap members held in place by the pressing members and covering the interspaces between adjacent slabs, and wedges driven through the looped upper ends of the supporting members above the said pressing members, so as to press the slabs tightly on the supporting members.

2. A roof covering as defined in claim 1, wherein the groove in the middle of the length of each slab is narrower than the other grooves of the slab.

3. A roof covering as defined in claim 1, wherein the narrow end of each wedge extending outside the supporting member is doubled up against an outer face of the said supporting member.

4. A roof covering as defined in claim 1, wherein the pressing members are tubular and are transversed by fastening means to hold the cap members in place.

5. A'rcof covering as defined in claim 1, wherein the interior of the cap members is provided with a filling.

HENDRIK VAN WAVEREN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Sykes Mar. 23, 1880 Number 

